Gymshark stumbles big time and customers are furious | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

It was supposed to be one of the brand’s biggest moments this year.

The kind of launch Gymshark usually nails — teased on socials, shared by influencers, flooded with comments and anticipation.

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This was the first launch of its kind in over five years — a long-awaited moment that fans had been hyping up for weeks.

But within minutes of going live, the hype came crashing down.

Now, angry customers are venting across Reddit, TikTok, and Instagram, saying they never even had a chance.

Gymshark’s major marketing moment, undone by launch-day chaos.

Image source&colon; Glossy/Gymshark

Gymshark customers angry over failed Onyx drop

Even before launch day, some fans were skeptical. Reddit user u/thefake… predicted days in advance, “I feel like the website is gonna crash.”

That comment quickly gained traction as others chimed in with confusion about how the launch would actually work.

And while the site didn’t crash, the initial drop still went horribly wrong.

Most shoppers hit refresh only to find everything already gone. Within seconds, bots had cleared the shelves, leaving real customers empty-handed and furious.

Reddit user u/flowrfrown wrote, “I had 2 laptops and it all sold out before the countdown.” Another user, u/Tom1325, added, “Bots instantly bought it out, they already have listings on eBay.”

The sarcasm was strong in the aftermath. “Human verification, limiting number of similar items per cart, releasing on the RIGHT TIME… everything executed perfectly by Gymshark! Good thing we all got our Onyx! Definitely not beaten by bots!” wrote u/No-Towel-8420.

Reddit lit up with frustration, with fans dragging Gymshark over what they saw as a complete failure to protect loyal shoppers from bots and chaos.

Yikes.

Update May 8, 2:45 p.m: Gymshark’s website crashed for the USA launch. Big yikes. Redditors are going to have a field day with one.

Gymshark’s costly mistake comes at a critical time

This wasn’t just a product drop — it was a spectacle. Gymshark brought Onyx back with a superhero-themed NYC pop-up, a Batbike, and a storyline casting their lifting division’s creative director David Laid as a modern-day Bruce Wayne.

Fans lined up for the 24-hour event, which also teased the brand’s massive new Manhattan flagship. Big moment, big budget, big expectations.

But while the New York vibes were strong, the online launch dropped the bar — hard. And for a brand trying to go from cult favorite to global player, that’s a problem.

Despite raking in $757 million in revenue last year, Gymshark’s profits have taken a hit for three straight years. The brand is also navigating layoffs, restructuring, and the high-stakes gamble of going big on physical retail.

Trust — not just hype — is going to determine whether that gamble pays off.

The Onyx misfire exposed a crack in the foundation: community only works when fans feel seen. Gymshark doesn’t just sell workout gear — it sells belonging. And bots snapping up everything in seconds doesn’t feel very inclusive.

If Gymshark wants to be the future of fitness wear, it’ll need to match its blockbuster storytelling with real-world reps. Because no amount of Easter eggs or influencer selfies can save a launch that didn’t even make it past the first set.

Next time, hopefully they remember to take their pre-workout.